Conventionally, a flat-cable connector to be connected to a flat cable such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC), or the like has a structure where a large number of conductor contacts are inserted at a predetermined interval into an insulated housing which has been formed by molding a resin, and arranged and secured. The large number conductor contacts are produced at once by punching a metal plate operating a spring action, for example, a copper plate, etc., by press working. In this case, the surface punched by press working (namely, a fracture surface) defines a contact point of the contact to enlarge friction at the contact portion, and prevent fretting corrosion.
However, when the metal plate is formed into a teeth-like shape of a comb, and a predetermined number of contacts are inserted in the insulated housing at once, the pitch of the contacts must be larger than the height of the contacts. Accordingly, in a narrow-pitch connector wherein the fracture surface defines a contact point of the contact, normally, it is not possible to insert a predetermined number of contacts into the insulated housing at once, and the conductor contact must be inserted into the insulated housing one by one.
Further, when the conventional flat cable is inserted in the connector, a plurality of conductive pads of the inserted flat cable must be maintained in the condition that the pads are respectively brought into contact with the respective conductor contacts at the connector side. However, there has been no mechanism for securing the flat cable at the insertion position in the connector with a simple configuration so as not to generate fine sliding. Therefore, there is a problem of abrasion between the contact points caused by the fine sliding between the respective conductive pads of the flat cable and the respective conductor contacts of the connector.
A conductor contact disclosed in JP-A-8-250232 has an insulated housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, and an actuator. The actuator is rotatable between a plane substantially perpendicular to the surface where the contacts are juxtaposed and a plane parallel to the juxtaposed surface. The flat cable is inserted in the actuator under the condition that the actuator is standing so as to be located in the substantially perpendicular plane, and thereafter, the actuator is laid so as to be located in the parallel plane. Thereby, the pressing surface of the actuator presses the contacts to the side of the conductive terminal for securing.
A flexible circuit board connector disclosed in JP-A-11-54220 has an insulated housing where two contacts are staggeredly arranged for one pin, and a pressurizing member which can be open or closed with respect to the housing is provided. When the pressurizing member is open, posts located at the opposite end surfaces thereof engage with elastic engagement pieces to prevent removal from the insulated housing. Then, the pressurizing member is closed, while the engagement between the posts and the elastic engagement pieces is released, a locking projection of the pressurizing member engages with the insulated housing to provide a sufficient contact pressure to the flexible circuit board and the contact.
In JP-A-8-250232 and JP-A-11-54220, a mechanism which maintains a condition that a plurality of conductive pads of the inserted flat cable are respectively brought into contact with the respective conductor contacts at the connector side, after the flat cable such as FPC, FFC, or the like, is inserted into the connector. However, in the conventional flat-cable connector disclosed in these documents, an actuator and a pressurizing member must be provided to be rotatable with respect to the insulated housing, and thus, a space for rotating these members is required. Further, there is a problem that because the actuator and the pressurizing member are operated, the structure becomes complicated.
Also, the conventional flat-cable connector has a structure that the flat cable and the contact are pressed, and thus, when an external force or vibration is applied, fine vibration or fine sliding may be caused between the flat cable and the contact. Thus, there is a problem that the fretting corrosion between the cable and the contact cannot be sufficiently prevented or decreased.